VENTNOR - The contractor working for the Atlantic County Utilities Authority took delivery of a specially manufactured flange needed to repair the force main sewer leak on Wellington Avenue. However, after installation, a minor leak delayed removal of a bypass pipe until later Saturday or Sunday morning.
On Thursday, March 11, ACUA's emergency contractor, Lafayette Utilities, along with subcontractor Core and Main, worked to install the custom fabricated materials which were delivered Wednesday evening.
The repair involved fusing transition pieces onto ends of the existing pipe, cutting a spool piece to the required length and fusing flanges on both ends of the spool piece. Once the spool piece was set in place, work continued to bolt the flange connections together to complete the repair.
At 12:30 a.m. Friday, March 12, contractors began work to test the repair and connection. This work must be done when wastewater flows are low. Subcontractor Garrison Enterprise began to open the line stop to divert wastewater from the bypass line back to the repaired sewer main. Noting minor leakage at the connection point, the line stop was reactivated so that the repair work could resume in the morning.
Friday morning, adjustments were made to tighten the repair connection. Following the contractor's recommendation to let the repair work set for 24 hours, the repair will be reassessed on Saturday with the plan to test the connection during the night Saturday, March 13 into Sunday, March 14.
Future Work
After the repair is completed successfully, the bypass pipe can be deactivated and removed. Excavation pits will then be filled and the roadway will be temporarily paved, enabling Wellington Avenue to reopen. After a required period of approximately six months, a final resurfacing of the roadway will be completed.
